Annual Report 2025 - Report - Page 64
Nobel Laureates @ School
A Lesson That Teaches
More Than Science
“People said it wouldn’t work, but I stayed in the lab until 3 a.m.” – Stefan W. Hell
The “Laureates @ School” is a cherished Lindau Meetings’ tradition …
… giving pupils from the Lake Constance region a chance to engage
directly with Nobel Laureates
#LINO25 was not only for Young Scientists – it was also
for younger students to be encouraged and inspired. On
Wednesday of the Meeting week, Nobel Laureate Stefan
W. Hell was invited to the Valentin-Heider Gymnasium, a
local high school, where he engaged in an inspiring conversation with German and Austrian students. He spoke
about his groundbreaking scientific discovery and about
what it means to receive the Nobel Prize in Chemistry –
particularly when being a physicist.
Professor Hell received the 2014 Chemistry Nobel
Prize “for the development of super-resolved fluorescence microscopy.” His work revolutionized the field by
increasing microscopic resolution with a factor of ten, allowing researchers to observe processes inside living cells
in unprecedented detail. The method works by one light
pulse causing fluorescent molecules to glow, while an-
other causes all molecules except those in a very narrow
area to become dark.
But Stefan W. Hell not only talked about his breakthrough, he also shared the personal journey behind the
discovery. He spoke candidly about the scepticism he
faced and the risks he took in pursuing an idea few believed in. “People said it wouldn’t work, but I stayed in the
lab until 3 a.m.” he recalled. His talk was both motivating and encouraging, urging students to persevere when
they believe in something.
Professor Hell also made it very clear that just because
he has a Nobel prize, “doesn’t mean I’m competent in
everything”, and admitting with a laugh that he dropped
chemistry after the 10th grade and likely wouldn’t pass a
chemistry test today.
62 | #LINO25 Engaging Programme Formats
